[Rhodes22-list] Outer Banks Adventure --- Day 3 of 5

Thu May 12 09:00:30 EDT 2005

Great Pictures & story.
Steve

--- "William E. Wickman" <wewickman at duke-energy.com>
wrote:

> The saga continues...  Please note that there are a
> number of pictures at
> the bottom of the page.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Day 3:  Turning Back
> 
> As the sun came over the horizon we made a hasty
> exit from Cape Lookout and
> headed out for what would be a 10-12 hour trip up to
> Ocracoke via Ocracoke
> Inlet.  I have been told that this is a tricky
> inlet, but the wind, tide
> and waves were favorable so we thought we would go
> for it.  Worse case if
> the inlet looked too difficult, we would simply turn
> around and night sail
> back around Cape Lookout.  It was open ocean, and
> provided we didnâ€™t try to
> cut the Cape too close, might actually be nice to
> night sail.  Can you say
> over ambitious?
> 
> As soon as we rounded the point and headed into the
> ocean I could tell that
> the conditions were not quite like the previous
> afternoon.  Wave heights
> had increased just a bit to what I would say were
> 3-4 feet.  But they were
> long rollers and didnâ€™t present too much problem
> as we headed into them on
> the long way around the shoals before heading north.
>  There was very little
> wind so we motored.
> 
> Man, it is a long way around Cape Lookout and those
> buoys that mark the
> boundaries of the shoal area are far apart.  You
> cannot site from one to
> the next, but must dead reckon until each one comes
> into view.  After we
> got about Â¾ of the way out to the farthest buoy, we
> decided to make a cut
> across the point to save some time.  Visibility was
> good so we made the
> turn and kept a sharp lookout for the infamous
> breakers that can occur out
> here.  We did see some small ones, but they were a
> good distance in toward
> shore (but still waay out from the beach).  We
> continued on this point for
> well over an hour.
> 
> Note to file:  You can cut the corner of Cape
> Lookout in a shoal draft boat
> in the right conditions, but be very careful to get
> way way out from the
> point.
> 
> Maybe it was the overcast clouds that began rolling
> in from behind us;
> maybe it was the uncomfortable wave action coming
> from the rear quarter
> that rocked the boat in two directions in a sort of
> wallowing motion; maybe
> it was the green look that Sailing Buddy started to
> get.  I started getting
> an uneasy feeling about this leg of the trip; a
> feeling of bad karma.
> Further, I didnâ€™t like the trend of the latest
> weather forecasts.  While
> today was fine, the forecast now called for winds to
> build the following
> day, Saturday.  The offshore forecast called for
> 20-25kts with gusts over
> 30; wave heights 6-8 feet building to 12 feet. 
> Definitely not something I
> wanted to be caught in if it came early and I was
> attempting to return to
> Cape Lookout after being turned back at Ocracoke
> Inlet.  Moreover, the
> forecast for Pamlico Sound called for 3-5 foot waves
> Saturday with winds
> out of the south at up to 20 kts.  It looked like we
> might be stuck in
> Ocracoke Saturday waiting for weather to abate.  Our
> weather window had
> closed on us.  I made the decision to turn around
> and head back to Beaufort
> after making it about 25% of the way to Ocracoke
> Inlet.  Sailing Buddy
> didnâ€™t argue.  He had just lifted his head from
> over the side of the
> gunnels after having thrown up for the third time. 
> Sailing Buddy said he
> was just hung over.  I think it was a clear case of
> seasickness.
> 
> This was a disappointing moment for me because it
> took us out of our grand
> plan to see all three ports.  Sailing Buddy didnâ€™t
> care.  In fact, I put
> Sailing Buddy at the helm with his GPS in hand
> pointed directly to Beaufort
> Inlet [see picture below].  I knew he would get us
> back to port quicker
> than anyone else on the seven seas at this
> particular moment.
> 
> I must admit that the change in direction made for a
> much more comfortable
> ride.  I shuddered at the thought of having to put
> up with the wave action
> that we had before turning around for another 8-10
> hours.  I gained a new
> respect for those blue water transatlantic sailors
> that stay on the same
> course for days on end.
> 
> My decision was rewarded shortly after turning
> around when we found
> ourselves completely surrounded by the largest pod
> of dolphins I had ever
> seen.  There must have been 30-40 of these
> magnificent creatures [see
> picture below].  We had been motoring to this point,
> but I immediately shut
> down our engine and raised sail.  Although we
> didnâ€™t move very fast under
> the light winds, I thought that the dolphins would
> be more likely to
> approach us while under sail.  A few curious ones
> ventured close enough for
> a peek at us, and for me to snap a few pictures.
> 
> The sky began clearing again as we pulled into
> Beaufort Inlet around 1PM,
> and by the time we reached the harbor and anchored,
> the sun was shining and
> wind was blowing a gentle 8-10kts.  Short memory
> that I have, I began to
> wonder aloud if we had made a mistake by turning
> back.  Sailing Buddy
> quickly dispelled any misgivings.  [Some good
> pictures of Beaufort harbor
> below]
> 
> The anchorage at Beaufort is very nice.  I carried a
> small light inflatable
> that is powered by two sets of oars.  We found this
> more than adequate to
> get to the dinghy dock and back.  The key is to
> anchor just across the
> channel from the dinghy dock or as close as
> possible.  Of course, location
> is less of an issue if you have a motor.  Beaufort
> is very boater friendly
> and provides a very nice dinghy dock on each end of
> the municipal marina.
> Dockage at the marina costs $1.75/ft, so anchoring
> out saved us around $40.
> Besides, the anchorage is much more quiet and
> private.  It also provided us
> with a special treat.
> 
> Looking out from under the pop top at Carrot Island,
> the uninhabited island
> just across the channel from Beaufort, what to our
> amazed eyes did appear,
> but a beautiful young pony quietly grazing just a
> few yards away.  Carrot
> Island, as well as nearby Shackleford Banks, is home
> to a number of wild
> horses.
> 
> Anchoring in Beaufort is unique in that if you want
> to feel like you are in
> a harbor, turn and face toward the town.  If you
> want to feel like you are
> way out in the wilds, turn and face toward Carrot
> Island.
> 
> After a short rest, we jumped in our dinghy and
> rowed to shore for a look
> around town.  Beaufort is a quaint town that is just
> large enough to
> provide interesting shopping and restaurants, and
> just small enough to
> remain quaint.  The highlight was a trip to the
> maritime museum which was
> free!  Free is good.
> 
> After doing the tourist thing, we ate dinner on the
> porch of a restaurant
> while overlooking the harbor in which I could see my
> Rhodes gently swinging
> on its anchor.  After dinner, we rowed the dinghy
> around the harbor a bit
> to look at the different boats.  As we approached
> one that looked
> particularly salty, the wind and current pulled us a
> bit to fast and we
> bumped the boat before we could correct our course. 
> Wouldnâ€™t you know that
> there was someone inside that came scrambling up to
> see what had happened.
> I can only imagine what flashed through his mind
> when he heard the bump.
> Of course there was no damage as we were in a rubber
> boat, but if looks
> could kill.  I suggested to Sailing Buddy that we
> take a circuitous route
> back to our boat to conceal our location.  Thereâ€™s
> no telling, he might
> have been a pirate.
> 
> Note to file:  Sailors donâ€™t like you bumping into
> their boats at anchor;
> even if you are in a rubber raft.
> 
> As I drifted off to sleep, I was happy that we opted
> to anchor instead of
> pay for a slip.  It was quiet and peacful and much
> more private.  Now, if
> we could just get through the night without someone
> bumping into our
> boat...
> 
> 
> This is a picture of Sailing Buddy heading back to
> Beaufot:
> (See attached file: backtoBeaufort.jpg)
> 
> 
> A picture of dolphins off Cape Lookout:
> (See attached file: dolphinoffcape.jpg)
> 
> 
> 
> The entrance to Beaufort Harbor:
> 
> (See attached file: Beaufortharbor.jpg)
> 
> 
> Beaufort Harbor looking east and west:
> (See attached file: Beaufortharboreast.jpg)
> (See attached file: Beaufortharborwest.jpg)
> 
> 
> Wild horse:
> (See attached file: wildhorse.jpg)
> 
> 
> The Rhodes at anchor:
> (See attached file: Rhodesanchor1.jpg)
> (See attached file: Rhodesanchor2.jpg)
> 
> 
> 
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